One man, Many Fates
by albuttdumbledorf
Summary: It's a few years after the 5th Grail war. Shirou is living with Tohsaka in London, and is struggling to manage his feelings for Rin and Saber while trying to do right by them both. -INCOMPLETE-
1. Part 1: Light in the Afternoon

This is my first work on this site!

I've been reading about Fate lore and re-reading some of my favorite stories here… I've got the bug. I think my fascination with the Fate franchise has always stemmed from the themes explored in Fate/Zero. The clash of ideologies. How people interact because of these ideologies. I think it's such a great story because the plot is so character and character motivation driven, it's almost intoxicating.

Stay Night has some of these elements as well, I think, but the story drives itself a little more, with the characters going for a ride along with how the writers envisioned things - probably due to the visual novel medium and the many endings Stay Night's writers wanted to achieve. That said, I find the characters from Stay Night extremely compelling.

I have an idea for a larger story, but I thought I'd post a few one-shots first just to test the waters. If anybody finds my stuff and likes it, I might commit to something larger.

This particular one-shot is incomplete, so far. I'd say it's about halfway done, and I've been working on it almost daily this week. And that's despite the fact that I have midterms in Ochem and Physics next Wednesday. Oops.

It's inspired by the beginning of a story I read recently, called Servant and Cook. It's a great fiction; you should go check it out!

Anyway, here goes. I hope you enjoy :)

-!-**Part 1: Light in the Afternoon** -!-

_'This just in – the British Pound Sterling fell two points this morning when the EU announced it would be raising tariffs on British textiles being shipped from the UK…'_

Shirou tuned out the drone of the radio, wrench in hand. He was laying under his motorcycle, performing some repairs, and he threw his weight into the wrench, twisting it tight to ensure the bolt wouldn't shake loose in the future.

Just earlier that morning, Shirou had been on his way to the Clock Tower to meet with Tohsaka for lunch when the engine misfired and blew its head gasket. After calling his magus friend to tell her that he wouldn't be able to make it to their appointment, he resorted to walking his bike home. His journey back to their Twickenham apartment had been filled with muttered curses and regret that motorcycles could not be taken on public buses.

_'…Minister Boris Johnson has announced a meeting with the American president scheduled for next month. Among the topics of discussion: how to deal with the rise of China, and the decline of the…'_

Shirou reached upward to set down his wrench and pull out his phone when out the corner of his eye he caught a beam of light that filter through the garage window. The afternoon sun was speckled filtering through the leaves outside, the golden light illuminating dust in the air like fireflies meandering through golden syrup. Shirou paused, taking in the sight before him. He hadn't seen such vibrant colors in years. He closed his eyes. Brilliant emerald eyes shining with regal determination, a golden sword raised up, flecks of golden dust rising about her…

"Shirou!"

Shirou jerked forward, his forehead rising to smash painfully into the bolt he had just tightened. He grimaced.

"I'm back!" Tohsaka yelled as the front door slammed.

Shirou, dazed, was vaguely aware of Tohsaka traipsing about the house, looking for her roommate. He rubbed his forehead in pain as the radio droned on behind him.

_'…top 100. It's almost hard to believe that Seasons (Waiting on You)* is still at the top of the charts. 9 weeks on top and no signs of slowing down!'_

Shirou could already feel an angry welt forming under his skin. He slipped out from under his motorcycle, carefully as to not repeat his injury.

"You won't believe the _nerve_ of the Luvia!" she yelled from across the house. He heard her loud footsteps getting closer. She must have realized he would be working on his motorcycle. "Lord el Melloi II had already promised _me_ the research grant on incorporating elemental characteristics into prana storage devices, and yet there she was, in his office, _schmoozing_, like that – Oh, there you are Shirou."

Shirou was picking up his wrench when Tohsaka burst through the door that connected the garage to the rest of the house.

_'…And now, back Today's Top Picks, a segment where you, the listener, vote for the songs you want to hear! Cast your votes on…'_

"You look _horrible_," Tohsaka said over the radio as Shirou stood up, wrench in hand.

Shirou frowned as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "Would appreciate word choice other than 'horrible'," Shirou mumbled. A pop song began playing on the radio.

Tohsaka looked at him with morbid fascination. "And you're listening to this garbage?!" She moved over to the radio and swiftly turned it off. "That welt must be hiding some serious brain damage, Shirou!"

"Hey," he retorted. "Unlike you magi, I actually interact with real human beings every day." Shirou worked as a mechanic at a local shop to help pay for expenses. He was proud of the friends he had made at work. "Knowing a song or two keeps people from thinking you live under a rock." Many of his fellows weren't too keen on immigrants when he had first met them, and knowing the lyrics to some of the songs his colleagues played while they worked had definitely helped him break the ice.

"Hmph!" Tohsaka flipped her hair over her shoulder, her arms crossed over her chest. "Well, do your 'normal people' make a habit of reneging on their commitments? Because I haven't forgotten about lunch."

"It's hardly my fault, Tohsaka," he pleaded. Tohsaka gazed back, unimpressed.

"All I hear are excuses, Shirou!" Her face was impassive and her stance haughty, but a smile was spilling out at the corners of her eyes and mouth "You're the mechanic. You should know when your bike needs maintenance. Good thing you'll be making it up to me tonight when you treat me to dinner. I'll be ready to leave at 7."

Ah. There it was. Shirou watched, startled, as Tohsaka swept out of his room before he had a chance to reply. When she was gone, Shirou shook his head, a wry smile on his face. Tohsaka was a whirlwind at times, but she was loyal to the last, and he was grateful for the constant support she provided under the bluster and bravado. Living with her over the past several years had truly been a blessing. He couldn't imagine where he'd be had he not followed her to London. He pushed away his wandering thoughts. If he wanted to be ready by seven, he had to finish up in the garage and get dressed quickly. Tohsaka would probably give the bump on his head a few friends if he were late.

Shirou grunted, a strange expression coming to his face. He wondered, curiously, if he was beginning to become content with his life, after all these years.

When Shirou had finished cleaning up after his repairs, he left the shop. Just before he closed the door behind him, however, he hesitated. The emerald green of the leaves by his rooms and the motley golden light that illuminated his workshop were fading with the setting sun. Shirou sighed. Content was definitely not the right word.

-!-

Tohsaka Rin was not content. Most people, when feeling Rin's feelings and thinking Rin's thoughts, would recognize them for what they are: sadness, hurt, frustration, confusion. Rin, on the other hand, on the account of not being 'most people,' just felt angry. And even this emotion she masked with haughty humor and fabricated stubbornness. Or at least, that was what she had done for the past several years.

Now, however, Rin was lying in her bathtub, and the mental gymnastics she used to keep her heart from aching were beginning to fail. The fake humor and overexaggerated personality that she had used had slipped away like molten steel when she lowered herself in the warm bathwater. The anger underneath it had been startling. It throbbed inside her chest. It made her fists clench and her nails bite into the skin of her palms. She was angry with Shirou. He had the nerve to follow her to London, to rely on her, to live with her, and, worst of all, be an amazing life companion.

Rin sighed to herself, closed her eyes, and dunked her head under the water. When she rose, her wet hair was a curtain of midnight black pressed against her skin.

Rin, in a rare state of not telling herself lies, wasn't being totally fair to Shirou. She was grateful for his helpfulness, his kindness, and his quiet support. She was a handful, even if she would rather show up to the Clock Tower naked than say it aloud, and Shirou had been nothing but patient and understanding when faced with her stilted anger and her big head. In many ways, this was why she was so angry with him. His kindness towards her and the rest of the world made it difficult for her upset with him. It made it impossible for her to want to end her relationship with him, no matter how painful it was for her to be near him. And most importantly, Shirou's generally excellent demeanor made it impossible for her to ignore how furious she was with herself.

So, Rin was not, in fact, angry with Shirou. Rin was livid with herself. When it came down to brass tacks, Rin was an extremely understanding person. But because of her ego, because of the skills she knew she possessed, Rin held herself to an incredibly high standard. And she could not believe that someone as smart as her had let herself develop feelings for a man who was so _hopeless_ he had not given up on a girl he would never see again. The notion of liking a man who was so far removed from reality made her blood _boil_ with self-derision.

It was with these thoughts and those complex emotions bouncing around her skull that Rin calmly stood up, drained the bath, and dried herself off with a towel. She was Rin Tohsaka. She may have been feeling emotions she had locked away from her consciousness for years, but she had faced All Of The World's Evil. She could handle a lovable idiot like Shirou, and she could handle herself.

She entered the bedroom with a sigh and spent a little time picking out a few clothes for dinner. Unsurprisingly, she settled on a combination of a rich red overcoat that complemented a black shirt and dark pants. She was looking _fucking fantastic_ for dinner, she told herself as she shut the door to her bedroom. There would be nothing Shirou could do but look at her and think she was gorgeous.

When they met in the living room, Rin smirked with smug satisfaction at the faint blush that colored Shirou's cheeks. It almost matched the color of his hair.

She pointedly ignored the fact that he could be comparing her shining black hair and rich almond eyes to a blonde bun and an emerald gaze. Why couldn't the idiot accept reality?

Tohsaka internally shook her head. It didn't matter. She was Tohsaka fucking Rin.

"Geez Tohsaka," Shirou said, scratching the back of his head. He smiled sheepishly "You look terrifying with that expression."

"Oh God," Rin sighed as she rolled her eyes. She fought the urge to violently bring her hand to her forehead. Leave it to Shirou to ruin all her hopes and dreams.

"What?!"

"You're insufferable sometimes Shirou." She ignored his claims of not understanding what she was talking about and frowned. She didn't like that Shirou knew how to look good too. And she really didn't like that she found herself looking.

-!-

Shirou was very conscious of Rin's arms around his torso. They brought her all too close for comfort, considering Shirou had spent years avoiding thinking of Tohsaka in any way other than a friend. No matter which way he looked at it, he had promises to keep. How much time it took him to keep his promises may have been irrelevant to him, but it didn't mean that he didn't enjoy the feel of her pressed up against his back. Shirou would be lying if he said that the idea of their relationship progressing past 'friends' didn't make his heart burn with excitement and his stomach twist with anticipation.

Shirou breathed in deep. The crisp night air filling his lungs was like ice against his skin. It shocked him out of his daydreams and slammed his consciousness back into reality. Between his legs, there was a complex system of lubricated steel, with belts turning, pistons pumping, valves opening open and closing, all dictated and synchronized by the throttle at his feet. He felt the steady thrum of the engine vibrating front and back, side to side, against his legs. If he depressed his foot, even if only a little, the finely-tuned machine would suck in more gas, its vibrations increasing in frequency. If he let off the gas, it would sip quietly at the fuel it needed to stay alive and wait patiently for his next command.

As Shirou stepped hard on the gas, he had to tighten his grip on the handlebars in front of him as engine underneath him roared, eager to eat up the asphalt beneath it. He felt Tohsaka tighten her grip around him, and simply watched the white lines on the road zipped by one-by-one. He felt thankful for the reliability and predictability of engines. They were complex systems that followed a strict set of rules. If a screw was too loose, a head gasket not manufactured with precision, it would all fall apart. Shirou's ability to structurally grasp engines gave him an edge over his colleagues at work, but he was happy he was able to find such an effective way to help other people. People relied on their vehicles for their livelihoods, and if he could help them get back to their daily business quickly, Shirou considered it a job well done. He was also thankful for the peace and focus it gave his mind. It certainly beat silently raging against the arrogant figures in the Mage's Association.

In many ways, that was why it was so surprising to Shirou that he had lost his head (and given it a bump) when Tohsaka had surprised him that evening. While it's true she startled him because he was zoning out, it was rare for him to get distracted from working on a machine of any kind in the first place. He smiled a small, wistful smile. Leave it to her to occupy his mind more than his own profession.

Shirou signaled left, exiting the highway.

It had been three years, and she still came to his mind, unbidden. It was both comforting and unsettling that she would never stop coming to him. Comforting because it meant he knew he wouldn't have any trouble keeping his promises to her, but disappointing because it forced him to confront the life he had chosen for himself. He would never regret meeting the King of Knights, but that didn't mean he didn't sometimes wonder how much simpler his life would have been had he not.

Shirou slowly eased onto the brake as the traffic lights in front of him switched from green, to red, to yellow. He shook his head and snorted. What silly thoughts.

He would face every hardship in the world if it meant he could see her sitting calmly in his dojo, her golden hair framing an absolute, regal peace that only she could rally to her cause. In his mind's eye, he saw her shift imperceptibly as he registered him stepped into the room. She shifted her face to face him before she deliberately opened her eyes. He found himself facing a green that was both rich with buried meaning and gleaming with a gentle appreciation of his presence. Her chest lifted as she breathed in to speak, and –

"_Shirou,_" he heard Tohsaka say sharply.

He blinked and found himself staring into the emotionless green light of the traffic light reflecting sharply off his retinas. He blinked again and looked away. The city stretched out around him, lights twinkling with the bustle of a Friday evening. The people around him walked with the universal appreciation of not having to work the next day.

"Shirou," Tohsaka said again. "It's a miracle you haven't crashed and killed us both with that head of yours. Is it filled with cotton balls or something?"

Tohsaka yelped slightly when Shirou only grunted and put his foot to the pedal. He felt her scramble to get her arms around her torso. He could only barely hear he indignant cries of protest over the sound of the wind rushing past them both. He almost smiled.

-!-!-

Third upload for this story. I'd say it's about halfway down now. I hope you stay tuned for dinner!

Please let me know what you think!

*: Seasons (Waiting on You) is a real song by a band called Future Islands. The whole album it's in, Singles, is fantastic, and I highly recommend it. If you've heard its lyrics, let me know if you think it was an appropriate plug ;)


	2. Part 2: An Uneventful Evening

Hello, happy Autumn. Hope you are all staying safe and healthy! If you're in the US like I am, let's pray that the election goes well.

-!- **Part 2: An Uneventful Evening** -!-

Rin felt the motorcycle's engine rumble to a halt in between her legs. Her legs slid neatly against the leather of the seat as she got off the bike. She hugged her coat closer around herself, still feeling the chill of the ride in her chest. Shirou noticed the gesture as he took off his helmet.

"We need to get you some good motorcycle riding gear" he said.

"You could have given me your coat too" Rin replied, pointedly.

"You think this would fit on you?" Shirou took of his jacket and held it out in front of her chest. He looked pointedly each end of the jacket – it extended past her shoulders by at least an inch on each end.

"Sometimes it's not about the fit!"

Shirou smiled "I know what you mean."

Rin wondered if he did. Instead of saying anything more, she looked towards the shimmering glass of the building that they had parked in front of. "You did pick a nice-looking place to eat."

The restaurant lay on the first floor of a glass office building, a beautiful glass base supporting stories upon stories of concrete and steel. The amalgam of 21st century construction was encased in a layer of clear glass, which shone darkly in the night sky. Small pinpricks of light scintillated against the Thames and the brilliance of London. Rin felt small in contrast to the roiling glimmer of lights rising higher and higher in the night sky.

"Isn't it crazy how the light reflects off that glass?" Shirou asked, rhetorically. "Apparently, they just rebuilt this block and added some brand-new English glass technology – high reflection on the outside, low reflection on the inside. Great for privacy of the tenants, and for the skyline of the city!"

Rin just looked over a Shirou and raised one eyebrow quizzically.

"Don't look at me like that!" Shirou responded.

Rin still looked at him.

"I know because it might be good for automotive applications." He smiled, abashed.

Rin rolled her eyes, looking back over at the building. Of course it was automotive. "I wonder if they're using this kind of glass back in Japan."

Shirou shrugged. "If they're not now I'm sure they will eventually."

-!-

Shirou was distracting himself from the unwanted thoughts that came with something as sparkly as the office building. He followed Tohsaka blindly until they reached the entrance to the restaurant.

The host was kind enough to open one of the two large, glass doors at the entrance as they approached. Shirou gestured in front of him, and he followed Tohsaka into the restaurant. The host lowered his eyes slightly as he stood stiffly with the door at his side, and they walked through the opening.

As Shirou walked into the restaurant, he found himself agreeing with Tohsaka – it was a beautiful restaurant. It was filled with shimmering light. It wasn't as if the light was overwhelming either; it shone brightly and purposefully through the space, as if to guide and to comfort.

Shirou, being done looking around, looked to his side to see Tohsaka gazing about the space herself. He noticed the soft, sharp turn where Tohsaka's jaw met her neck.

"How many for the table?" the host asked, having made his way back to his podium.

"Just the two of us," Tohsaka replied promptly.

The host gathered up two menus and sets of silverware from his podium and gestured behind him. "Please follow me."

Shirou waited for Tohsaka to start after the waiter before following behind himself. Shirou heard the soft stepping of Tohsaka's black heels against the carpet of the restaurant. Her calves worked beautifully above the black shoes as she gracefully followed the host in his footsteps.

Shirou admired the metalwork in the light fixture above them as they sat in their chairs at their table. It was a shiny matte silver extending like an arrow from the ceiling to the spot in space just above their table. He felt the richness of the tablecloth as he placed his hands on the table.

Shirou smiled winningly at Tohsaka and was surprised at the speed with which the smile came back.

"I have to say, I approve. Good choice" she said.

"I did my best" Shirou replied, as if he didn't pick the first place that had 3 dollar signs and a good rating online.

"Shame that there's no Japanese food though," Tohsaka said, a faint smile still on her lips, as she looked down at the menu.

"I didn't realize you wanted Japanese food!"

"It's not your fault I didn't tell you. Not a big deal either; it's just something I've been craving recently…" Tohsaka's reply was distracted as she looked at the items on the menu.

"Gotcha" Shirou was relieved when Tohsaka looked up from her menu to smile at him. He smiled back.

Tohsaka quickly went back to looking at the menu, and Shirou looked down at the menu himself. It was full of European dishes; some from England, some French, and some Italian. Shirou could already tell that it was going to be hard for him to decide on what he wanted. He was distracted as Tohsaka set down and closed her menu.

"Done already?" he asked.

Tohsaka smirked. "It was an easy pick. I've always liked alfredo-style pasta."

"They had a vegetarian option?" Shirou followed-up.

"Well you kind of have to these days" Tohsaka replied. "All the better for me!"

"Surprised they let you do research in the Clock Tower when all you have is veggies for brains" Shirou smiled.

Tohsaka looked down on him playfully. "Veggies are far more nutritious than motor oil, Shirou." Shirou noticed once again how Tohsaka's jawline framed her face into a beautiful complex of soft curves and sharp angles. "I may have veggies for brains, but you'd be dissected to figure out how motor oil can carry oxygen to the brain."

"At least I know how to drive"

Tohsaka looked down at him, and this time the playfulness was less apparent. Shirou remembered that he shouldn't follow up on playful insults with her.

"May I help you with your order?" the waitress asked.

-!-

"I think we need a little more time, thanks!" Shirou seemed to almost smile aggressively at the waitress. In their current lives, Rin almost forgot what it was like to see Shirou anything but amenable.

Shirou excused himself to visit the restroom once they had ordered.

She watched his wide shoulders move smoothly from one end of the restaurant to the other, then disappear into a brightly lit opening in the wall near the bathroom sign. It was as if he entered the maw of some dragon that knew how to spit light rather than fire. The whole restaurant seemed to bright to Rin. Every section of wall or patch of tablecloth was so well lit you could see every speck of dust or crumb of food like it was a firework in a black sky. Obviously, the wealth of the restaurant was such that no specks could be found, but it still made Rin uneasy.

She was also a little miffed with Shirou for not being the perfect date. He didn't give her his overcoat, and for whatever reason he hadn't really complimented her. He didn't even get the chance to open the door for her! She knew she may be expecting too much from the dolt, but Rin always strove for the best.

Despite those minor annoyances, Rin was feeling happy.

It was a little unusual for her, typically, to be feeling as she did, but the motorcycle ride over to the restaurant was great! It was also a huge bonus that Shiro had picked a fantastic place to eat, even though she suspected it was by chance. Sure, it didn't have Japanese food, but it was a beautiful restaurant with great service, and Rin was sure that Shirou knew what it meant to take a girl out well enough that he would at least offer to buy dinner. She may have always been slim since she was a child, but that didn't mean she didn't know how to make the most of a free meal.

By the time that Shirou had returned from the restroom, the waitress had come to ask her for their drinks. She got them both some white wine.

"I thought you had fallen down the toilet," she quipped, wryly.

"I was barely in there for 3 minutes!" Shirou was indignant. Rin replied instantly.

"It only takes one to make a girl wait."

"I guess so" Shirou said, smiling. "You mentioned earlier today that Luvia was trying to get at some of your research?"

"God, that motherfucker," Rin said, ready to release a cathartic rant. If there was one thing Shirou knew well it was listening to her complain about stuff with compassion. "I don't know where she gets the _audacity _to mooch of my research proposals."

"She's probably just jealous."

"Hah! Well she should be." Rin was resolute, and spoke quickly. "That woman is competitive as ever, but she has really let it slip when it comes to being original."

"Isn't all research derivative?"

Rin frowned at him. His hair was a soft bright red, a shade she had never seen before she met him. It framed his face beautifully.

All research, by nature, was derivative since it built on what others had discovered before you. That didn't mean that she would ever let Shirou imply that she was in any way unoriginal.

"I am never derivative." Rin was emphatic.

"Of course not," Shirou replied, a cocked eyebrow and wry smile plastered on his face. He took a sip of wine.

"You _cooould _sound more convincing," Rin drawled out. "Speaking of things I am not happy about," she continued playfully, "you still haven't complimented me today. What kind of date do you think you are?"

"Hey! I am a great date! Look at this place! And I'm buying food. Are compliments necessary?"

Rin shook her head dramatically, "I was afraid of this. Clearly Kiritsugu didn't know how to teach some of the essentials."

"Well he did teach me the essential skill of saving my own life!"

"An impoverished life, with no significant others, apparently." Rin's response was dry. She lifted her wine glass to her lips and took a sip, keeping eye contact with Shirou.

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

"I don't understand why it's important for me to compliment you now." Shirou was defensive. "You always look fantastic!" He clearly thought that throwing that in there at the end would soften her up.

He wasn't wrong.

Rin was fighting down the blush that was rising to her cheeks. "Well, thank you, Shirou. But saying that once I've brought it up after years of not saying anything doesn't win you too many points."

Shirou seemed a little taken aback at that. He looked sad, looking out the window. "I'm sorry."

They were both silent as the waitress returned with their food. Rin found herself with a heaping plate of fettuccini alfredo with spinach. It was gorgeous, laden with creamy sauce and Italian spices. She could tell it was going to be delicious. Shirou received fish and chips. The fish looked great, but Rin still couldn't believe that Shirou had gotten something so basic at such a nice restaurant. Before the waitress left, she asked for another glass of wine.

"I can't believe you got fish and chips Shirou. This isn't some dive bar you know."

Shirou shrugged, smiled, and said, "I've just been enjoying British food lately."

His eyes crinkled along with his lips, and Rin felt a twist in the pit of of her stomach, like a gentle twisting of her intestines into knots. She felt herself tapping her foot against the floor under the table and forced herself to stop.

Rin sighed, and changed the subject.

-!-

Shirou was pretty sure the night was going well. _He_ thought so anyway. He was having a tough time reading Tohsaka. She was smiling a lot more than usual, which was great. It lit up her face in a way that made his heart dance in a delightfully nauseating way. Shirou was used to Tohsaka being more serious, more argumentative, and less friendly. Not that he didn't enjoy the change, it just threw him off, especially since it wasn't exactly 100% consistent.

He still didn't fully understand why it was important for him to compliment her on this specific evening. That seemed to be important to her, so he figured he'd try and say something nice later, when it wasn't right after she brought it up to him. After that little discussion on compliments, they had quickly moved on to some other conversation topics as they ate. He noticed that Tohsaka was back to her new, smiley self, and felt reassured that things were going well.

They shared a treacle tart for dessert. As they ate, Shirou couldn't help but notice how nicely her hands looked as they held her fork. They were elegant and strong; slender and firm; soft and dexterous. He wanted to take them into his own.

"I like your hands," he said to her.

Tohsaka looked up from her pie, "That's an interesting compliment to pick as your first." One of her eyebrows was cocked and a perplexed smile showed at the ends of her lips.

"I'm serious!" Shirou smiled back, exclaiming. "I like your hands a lot."

"They're just hands."

"Not to me."

Tohsaka seemed to pause to consider that. "Let's finish up and pay," she said. "I want to go to the pier."

Shirou's smile dimmed only slightly. "Sounds great!"

-!-

The pier was gorgeous.

The water of the Thames undulated slowly with the passing current, and lights reflected off the waves like tiny stars reminding you of days past.

Shirou craned his neck to look above them and was disappointed to only see a few stars visible in the night sky. Light pollution was a huge problem in London, and it made him miss his home on the outskirts of his hometown in Japan. He remembered summer nights when he would lay out in the grass of their backyard with Kiritsugu and look for patterns and shapes in the brilliant sky.

Shirou supposed he would have to settle for the scintillating lights on the Thames, and everything and everyone that those lights reminded him of. Kiritsugu had told him of the fateful night when Arturia had released the might and brilliance of Excalibur upon the monstrosity created by the enemy's Caster.

He wondered, wistfully, if the lights on the Thames were like those cast by Excalibur in the Fuyuki City River.

Tohsaka startled him. "Tell me what is going on in that dense head of yours, Shirou," she asked.

"Uh…"

She stopped, grabbing his arm. "What's up? I can tell you're thinking about something," she asked, with soft eyes and a soft smile.

Shirou wasn't used to seeing something so tender in her eyes. It made his heart flutter, and his brain struggled to get a sense of what was going on. "I was just thinking…" he started.

She smiled more deeply, waiting.

"I was just thinking that the lights in the water were beautiful." He stated, lamely.

Tohsaka's smile faltered only slightly before she turned to look at the Thames. "They really are. London is a beautiful city. Giving Paris a run for its money."

"Not as pretty as your eyes, though!" Shirou added hastily.

Tohsaka turned back towards him, and this time the smile she wore was bigger and more genuine than anything that Shirou had ever seen on her face. He felt pain in his chest where his heart strained.

"_Now_ you're starting to act like a date," she said.

Shirou paused for a second to consider how this only happened because his bike broke on the way to meet Tohsaka for lunch. He didn't know whether to thank himself or to chastise himself for his forgetful maintenance.

Before he realized what was happening, Shirou felt Tohsaka's soft hand against his cheek. It was cool to the touch. The smile that came to his face was as natural as a summer breeze.

"Your cheeks are warm" she said.

"Oh. Tha-?"

But Tohsaka had already leaned inwards and upwards, and Shirou felt softness and warmth at his lips. Warmth bloomed in his chest, and heat swelled throughout his body. The sun, far past the edge of the horizon, beamed onto his limbs, chasing away the brisk cool of the evening.

He closed his eyes and brought his hand to her face, settling on the spot where her jaw and her neck met. He felt the smoothness and sharpness that he had seen earlier in the restaurant, but also the softness of her skin, and the warm of her neck. He pulled her face up, leaning more deeply into their connection.

He gulped.

When he pulled back, all he saw were the lights scintillating on the Thames, whispering of comforts and of a broken promise. He was glad they had sake at home.

"We should head back," he said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

Tohsaka just nodded, a soft smile plastered on her beautiful face.

-!-!-

So that is that!

I hope you enjoyed. Have a great day!


End file.
